Nurses on strike leave picket line to help victims of Michigan church shooting and fire

Nurses on Strike Put Down Picket Signs to Help After Grand Blanc Church Tragedy

Grand Blanc Township, Michigan — For nearly five weeks, Eva Kerzka had stood on the side of Holly Road in Grand Blanc Township with hundreds of her colleagues. Like the roughly 700 nurses employed at Henry Ford Genesys Hospital, she was on strike, pressing for a new labor contract that addressed staffing levels, pay, and patient care standards.

Every day since the strike began, nurses gathered along the grassy shoulder near the hospital, waving signs, chanting, and waiting for progress in stalled negotiations. For Kerzka, a seasoned nurse, the absence of patient care was the most difficult part. She had chosen the profession to help people, not to withhold her skills. Yet on that Sunday morning, fate called her back into service in an unimaginable way.

Black Smoke and Sirens

Kerzka was holding her sign when she noticed the sudden wail of sirens. Police cruisers and ambulances sped past the picket line, lights flashing. Then she saw black smoke curling into the sky about a mile away.

News began trickling in through cell phones and social media posts: there had been a mass shooting and fire at the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints nearby. In the medical community, such an event was known as a “Code Black” — a catastrophic incident that could overwhelm hospital resources.

Kerzka froze, torn between duty to her union and duty to her calling. “What do I do?” she recalled thinking. “I can’t just stand here.”

With the blessing of the Teamsters Local 332 union president, she and several other nurses dropped their picket signs and rushed to offer help, moving first to the hospital, then to the church itself, and finally to a triage center set up for survivors.

Running Toward the Crisis

The group of striking nurses did what they were trained to do: provide calm, skilled assistance in the midst of chaos. At the hospital, Kerzka helped prepare rooms for incoming patients. She scrubbed blood from the floors and ensured the environment was ready for treatment. Others guided families, reassured victims, and supported first responders with food and water.

“It looked like a war zone,” Kerzka later said. “There were victims coming in, staff rushing everywhere, and so much uncertainty. I just did what needed to be done.”

Their time inside the hospital, however, was brief. Within 20 minutes, hospital management asked them to leave. Officials explained that because of the ongoing strike, replacement staff had already been hired, and the facility was fully staffed to manage the emergency.

“Henry Ford Genesys Hospital is fully staffed with experienced caregivers and able to care for all our patients, including those injured in the shooting and fire,” hospital leaders said in a statement. They added that the hospital had made contingency plans in advance due to the strike and emphasized that the tragic event should not be used as a “bargaining tool” in contract negotiations.

Compassion Beyond Boundaries

Unwilling to stand idle, Kerzka and other nurses went directly to the church site, where first responders were still working amid the smoke and chaos. Survivors stood outside in shock, some injured, many traumatized.

There, the nurses provided what comfort they could: bandaging minor wounds, helping people to safety, hugging grieving parishioners, and offering bottles of water to exhausted police and firefighters. They also accompanied survivors to a nearby triage center, where they continued to lend a steady hand and reassuring words.

“This is what I was born for,” Kerzka explained. “This is what we trained to do. I’m just grateful I got to help somebody.”

Though disappointed they could not do more inside the hospital, the nurses said the moments they spent supporting victims and first responders reaffirmed their calling to care for others.

A Union’s Praise

The Teamsters Local 332, which represents the striking nurses, issued a statement lauding their members’ decision to act in the face of crisis.

“In the face of this heartbreak, we witnessed a powerful moment of humanity,” the statement read. “Our nurses, without hesitation, put down their picket signs and ran to help. Their courage and selflessness in the most harrowing of times speak volumes about who they are — not just as professionals, but as people. This is what it means to strike for your community. Their actions remind us all of the true spirit of service and solidarity.”

The union made clear that the strike was about improving conditions for patients as much as for staff. In their view, the nurses’ immediate response to the tragedy proved the sincerity of that mission.

The Larger Conflict

The strike at Henry Ford Genesys Hospital, now stretching into its fifth week, reflects broader tensions within the healthcare system. Nurses nationwide have raised concerns about understaffing, burnout, and the challenges of balancing cost-cutting measures with quality patient care.

For many of the nurses in Grand Blanc, the shooting and arson underscored the stakes of their work. Even in the midst of a labor dispute, their instinct was to protect and heal.

Healing Through Service

Back on the picket line after the tragedy, Kerzka said she felt a mix of emotions. She was frustrated by being asked to leave the hospital, saddened by the devastation at the church, and yet deeply proud of how she and her colleagues had responded.

“Even though we couldn’t stay, I know we made a difference,” she said. “Sometimes helping isn’t about saving lives in an operating room. Sometimes it’s about holding a hand, offering water, or just being present in someone’s worst moment.”

For Kerzka and the others, the events of that day reminded them why they chose nursing in the first place. Strikes and negotiations may determine the terms of their employment, but nothing can change the fundamental calling to care for others.

As Grand Blanc heals from the tragedy, the image of striking nurses putting down their signs to rush into danger remains a powerful symbol — not just of professional duty, but of human compassion that transcends conflict.

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